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Building Questionnaires on Avarni - Question Type

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Written by David Tan
Updated over a month ago

Avarni’s Questionnaire Builder allows you to collect emissions data efficiently from suppliers or internal teams. Use it to support Scope 3 and business activity data collection with ease.

Key Use Cases:

  • Collect supplier-specific emissions data for Scope 3 reporting

  • Gather internal business activity data for emissions calculations

  • Standardize data collection across regions, teams, or vendors

Why Use It:

  • Simplifies data collection with customizable forms

  • Supports traceability and compliance (e.g., GHG Protocol)

  • Scalable for large supplier networks or internal departments

What This Guide Covers:

  • How to build a questionnaire

  • Overview of available question types

  • Tips for effective setup and deployment

Question Types

Overview

  • Title: An internal name for the survey template. This does not appear to suppliers and is only visible within the Avarni platform.

  • Introduction Text: A message shown in the email sent to suppliers when inviting them to complete the survey. This text is the first impression suppliers will see.

Metadata

Allows suppliers to select from a predefined list of sub-organisations and custom fields configured in your Avarni account (e.g. regions, business units).

  1. Sub-organisation: Allows suppliers to select from a predefined list of sub-organizations configured in your Avarni account (e.g. regions, business units).

    • Dropdown menu with fixed options — defined by your team.

  2. Custom Fields: Lets suppliers enter free-text responses that map to internal custom fields (e.g. internal codes, cost centers).

    • Open text — suppliers manually enter data. Options are not predefined.

PickList

  • Visible to suppliers

  • Suppliers select from a dropdown of predefined options

  • Maps responses to a custom field or sub-organisation

  • Use for tagging by business unit, region, etc.

Hidden

  • Not visible to suppliers

  • Automatically assigns a fixed value to each submission

  • Used for internal tagging (e.g. project name, internal owner)

  • Only one value allowed per field

Information Block

This question is for informational purposes only and does not require a response. It is intended to provide context and guidance to users completing the questionnaire.

Binary Question

A Binary Question is a Yes/No question that allows you to configure conditional follow-up questions based on the respondent’s answer.

1. Parent Question (Binary)

You define a main Yes/No question — for example:

“Do you track Scope 2 emissions?”

Respondents will select either Yes or No.

2. Conditional Logic

You then configure two distinct logic paths:

➕ Yes Case:

  • Triggered when the respondent selects Yes.

  • Allows you to add one or more follow-up questions.

  • These can be of any type (e.g., Emissions, File Upload, Text) except for another Binary question.

  • You can also pre-assign Scope and Category if using the Emissions type.

Example:

“Please upload your Scope 2 electricity consumption data.”

➖ No Case:

  • Triggered when the respondent selects No.

  • Also allows follow-up questions of any type except for another Binary question.

  • Typically used to understand gaps or offer alternatives.

Example:

“Can you briefly explain why Scope 2 emissions are not tracked?”

Multiple Choice

Collect a single, standardized answer from a list of predefined options.

Input Type: Radio buttons or dropdown (single selection only).

Use Cases:

  • Yes/No questions

  • Selecting one category (e.g. energy source, tracking status)

Example:

Do you track Scope 3 emissions?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Not sure

Tip:

Use when only one answer should be selected.

Text

Purpose: Collect open-ended responses in free-text format.

Input Type: Single-line or multi-line text box, depending on the length of the response.

Emissions

Purpose: Collect supplier-reported emissions data in kilograms of CO₂e (kg CO₂e) for specific scope and GHG categories.

Input Type: Numeric field, linked to a selected Scope and Category.

Activity Based

Question Type: Activity Based

Collect business activity data (e.g. distance, volume, spend) to estimate or calculate emissions using predefined emission factors.

High Level Overview

  • The enterprise defines Scope & Category, unit, and emission factor mapping.

  • The supplier submits quantitative business activity data.

  • Avarni automatically calculates emissions:

    • Business Activity × Emission Factor = Emissions Output (kg CO₂e)

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Define Scope & Category

  • In the Scope dropdown, select the GHG Protocol scope (e.g. Scope 1, Scope 3).

  • In the Category dropdown, select the relevant emissions category (e.g. Business Travel, Purchased Goods and Services, Upstream Transportation).

  • For travel-related categories, Avarni enables suppliers to submit, Start and End Airport Inputs. For air travel, Avarni can calculate distance (in km) based on airport codes provided by the supplier. Travel Categories are defined as the GHG Categories below:

    • Scope 1: Transport Combustion

    • Scope 3:

      • Business Travel

      • Employee Commuting

      • Upstream Transportation and Distribution

      • Downstream Transportation and Distribution

This determines how Avarni classifies the submitted data in emissions hub.

Step 2: Define Final Amount Unit and Input Labels

  • Final Amount Unit:
    The output unit used for emissions calculation (e.g. km, USD, kWh, Room Night). Must match the unit of your selected emission factor.

  • Amount Input Labels:
    Fields suppliers complete (e.g. Number of Rooms, Distance Travelled).
    These values are multiplied to produce the total activity amount in the selected unit.

Multi-Variable Inputs

Use Add Amount Input to collect multiple fields when the final unit is derived from more than one variable.

Examples:

  • Hotel Stay → Rooms × Nights = Room Nights

  • Freight → Tonnes × Distance = Tonne-Kilometres

All inputs must align with how your emission factor expects the data.

Step 3: Select the Emission Factor

  • Click Select Factor and search for the relevant emission factor.

  • Ensure the unit of the factor matches the one selected in Step 2.

  • Use filters to refine by geography, category, or dataset.

💡 Tip: Avarni has over 50,000 emission factors — use the filtering functionality to help you find the right one fast. Filter our emission factors by region, year or source.

Optional – Allow Multiple Answers

  • Check the Allow Multiple Answers box at the bottom right.

This allows suppliers to submit multiple rows (e.g. data for several spend categories in one go).

Example 1: Estimating Emissions from Hotel Stays

Business Case:
You want to estimate emissions from business travel-related hotel stays by collecting the number of rooms booked and nights stayed from suppliers or internal teams.

Step 1: Select Scope & Category

  • In the Scope dropdown, select:
    ​Scope 3

  • In the Category dropdown, select:
    ​Business Travel

This ensures that all data collected will be recorded under Scope 3 – Business Travel in the Emissions Hub.

Step 2: Define Final Amount Unit

  • Under the Final amount section:

    • Select Unit: Room Night

    • In the Amount Input Label, enter:

      • Input 1 Label: Number of Rooms

      • Input 2 Label: Number of Nights

These labels will appear on the questionnaire for the supplier to enter values. Avarni multiplies both inputs to derive the final activity amount (Room Nights).

Step 3: Select an Emission Factor

  • Click Select Factor

  • Use the search bar or filters to find an emission factor aligned with kg CO₂e per Room Night

Examples:

  • Hotel stay – average

  • Business hotel – EU average

  • DEFRA – accommodation services

Make sure the emission factor unit matches the final calculated unit: Room Night

Step 5 (Optional): Enable Description Field

  • Toggle Description ON if you want to capture extra details from the supplier:

    • Free Text: e.g. hotel name, city, dates of stay

    • Options: e.g. type of hotel (standard, eco-certified, etc.)

  • Set it as Required or Optional depending on your reporting needs.

Step 6 (Optional): Allow Multiple Answers

  • Check Allow Multiple Answers to enable suppliers to report on multiple hotel stays in a single submission (e.g. several trips over the reporting period).

Example 2: Estimating Emissions for Purchased Goods & Services

Business Case:

Estimate emissions by collecting supplier spend data across top 10 spend categories.

Step 1: Select Scope & Category

  • Scope: Scope 3

  • Category: Purchased Goods and Services

Step 2: Define Final Amount Unit

  • Under Final amount, set:

    • Unit: GBP

    • Amount Input Label: (GBP)

Step 3: Add Spend Categories as Options

  • Scroll to the Options section.

  • Click Add Option to create spend categories such as:

    • Consulting Services

    • Office Supplies

    • Cleaning and Maintenance

    • Telecommunications

  • Click Add Option again to include more categories.

These options appear in the dropdown suppliers will select from.

Step 4: Assign an Emission Factor for Each Option

  • For each category, click into the Factor field.

  • Click Select Factor.

  • Use the search/filter to find a factor aligned with the selected unit (USD).

Examples:

  • Consulting Services → kg CO₂e/USD - Professional Services

  • Office Supplies → kg CO₂e/USD - Office Equipment

Step 5: Optional – Enable Description Field

  • Toggle the Description switch ON (optional).

  • Choose:

    • Free Text: Supplier can enter additional context or details.

    • Options: Enterprise defines preset values suppliers can choose from.

  • Mark the field as Required or Optional as needed.

Example 3: Estimating Emissions from Air Travel

Business Case:

You want to calculate emissions from supplier-reported business flights using airport origin and destination, with the ability to account for return trips.

Step 1: Select Scope & Category

  • In the Scope dropdown, select:

    Scope 3

  • In the Category dropdown, select:

    Business Travel

This ensures all emissions from this question are categorized under Scope 3 Business Travel in Avarni.

Step 2: Enable Flight-Specific Functionality

  • ✅ Check the box labeled Return option

    This enables suppliers to indicate if the flight was return, which will automatically double the calculated distance.

  • ✅ Check the box labeled Flight distance calculator

    This activates the airport input fields for suppliers to enter:

    • Start Airport (e.g. JFK)

    • End Airport (e.g. LHR)

      Avarni will automatically calculate the one-way distance in kilometres between the two airports.

If both checkboxes are selected, Avarni calculates round-trip flight distance using accurate air travel routing.

Step 3: Define Units

  • Under Final amount, the Unit will be automatically set to:

    Kilometre (required for flight distance calculator)

  • In the Amount Input Label, enter:

    Calculated Flight Distance

This field is auto-filled and cannot be modified when flight calculator is enabled.

Step 4: Select an Emission Factor

  • Click Select Factor

  • Use the search bar to find an emission factor aligned with kg CO₂e/km (e.g. based on short-, medium-, or long-haul flight)

  • Recommended: Use filters like region, distance classification, or source (e.g. DEFRA, EPA) to narrow results.

Step 5: Optional – Add Description or Multiple Flights

  • Toggle Description ON (optional) to allow suppliers to provide additional context (e.g. purpose of travel, airline used).

  • Check Allow Multiple Answers if suppliers need to enter more than one flight (e.g. multiple business trips during the reporting period).

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